Mind the language, His Excellency

Ministers in the Nitish Kumar government shudder at the thought of being present at a public function, which is to be addressed by Governor Devanand Konwar. The cause of concern is, however, not the differences between the state government and the Raj Bhavan over the universities but the governor’s Hindi. minister said: “It is fine when His Excellency speaks in English. The trouble starts when he tries out his Hindi.” When Konwar delivered his speech in Hindi during the joint session of the legislature, the ministers and legislators kept hoping he would stop. They wished the governor would table his speech, declaring that it be considered read. However, Konwar didn’t give up and read out his speech in Hindi, making Herculean efforts to pronounce the words correctly. Recently, at a public function, the governor spoke elaborately on the potential of tourism in the state. He started with English and then switched to Hindi. “Paka raha hain (He is torturing us),” said a minister. But Konwar refused to relent to the ministers’ wishes.

Quest for status

The JD (U)’s signature drive in favour of special status for Bihar has seen party workers putting up tents around the city, appealing passersby to come and sign in favour of the state. Recently, the workers put up a stall at Patna Junction and collected thousands of signatures. “Not many of the passengers who arrived at Patna Junction understood the meaning of Bihar receiving the special status. But they still signed,” said a JD (U) leader. However, the political circles are abuzz with speculations over why the JD (U)’s ally, the BJP, has kept away from the signature drive. “The BJP keenly follows every step taken by its senior ally. But on this occasion, the BJP knows it is going to be a fruitless quest,” said a RJD leader.

Pension pangs

Some people consider the chief minister’s janata darbar to be a place where they can get everything. For them, chief minister Nitish Kumar is extremely generous in meeting their demands. One such incident occurred when an elderly person came to the darbar with a plea to increase his old age pension. First, Nitish asked the visitor if he gets his pension or not. The man replied he gets his pension regularly. Nitish politely asked him then what his problem was. The man said he anted his old age pension to be raised from the existing amount. The furious chief minister said he did not have the money to increase the old age pension amount as the state is yet to get pecial status.

Economic impression

Chief minister Nitish Kumar recently acted like an economist when he tried to explain the difference between the meaning of bhookhmari (starvation) and poverty to a visitor at his janata darbar. The man, who was in his sixties, had approached the chief minister, stating he is suffering from starvation. Nitish, furious, asked if he knew the meaning of bhookhmari. “If you are suffering from bhookhmari, the first thing we would have done was to feed you. Please don't come with such type of pleas, as it unnecessarily creates a bad impression of the state,” said the chief minister.